1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to graphic user interfaces (GUIs) for computer display screens and, more particularly, to an easy to use method for connecting sliders to a three dimensional (3D) object displayed on a computer display screen in order to allow the user to easily manipulate the 3D object by selectively rotating the object about X, Y and Z axes using the sliders.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Three dimensional (3D) objects are generated by a variety of application programs ranging from business and scientific graphic charting applications to computer aided design (CAD) and illustrator applications. Any 3D object will require rotation in order to let the user view the object from all aspects. For example, if the object is a 3D business or scientific chart some of the data represented by the chart will be obscured, and in order for the user viewing the chart to see all the data represented by the chart, the user needs to be able to rotate the chart about one or more axes. A computer generated 3D object produced by an illustrator or CAD application also needs to be rotated about the three cartesian X, Y and Z axes so that the designer will have a full appreciation of the shape and structure of the 3D object displayed on the computer screen.
One approach which has been implemented in the past in two dimensional (2D) space is to use a technique which involved a mouse directed cursor. The cursor when within certain limits of comers of a displayed object image bounding box, changes to a semicircular arc and, by pressing the mouse button and moving the mouse, the user could rotate the object in the 2D space. This technique has been applied to a 3D object depicted on the display, but since the depiction on the display is actually a two dimensional representation of the 3D object, it is difficult to control the rotation of the object. This is because mouse movement in two dimensional space does not map into three dimensional space precisely.
More sophisticated illustrator and CAD applications require the user to input either from the keyboard or by means of a pointing device, the coordinates of a view point in space. This approach is somewhat tedious and time consuming and often results in unpredictable results, requiring the user to input new coordinates until the desired viewing aspect is finally achieved on the computer display screen.